Paras files grave threat raps vs. Trillanes

MANILA Labor Undersecretary Jacinto Paras on Wednesday filed a complaint of grave threat against Senator Antonio Trillanes before the Pasay City Prosecutors Office for allegedly threatening his life when he attended a Senate hearing last May 29.

In his six-page complaint, Paras cited three elements of grave threat, the first of which is that while attending the Senate hearing, Trillanes allegedly confronted him and told him, "Ang lakas ng loob mo. Hindi magtatagal ang amo mo. Matatapos din yan. Yayariin kita. Mercenaryo ka. Yayariin kita (You have guts. Your boss will not stay for long. It will end. I will finish you. You're a mercenary. I will finish you)."

Paras said he just smiled and opted not to respond to the threat but the senator came back and told him, "Tatawa-tawa ka pa. May araw ka din. Yayariin kita (You are even laughing. You will have your day. I will finish you)."

He further said that the second element is that Trillanes' remarks could amount to homicide or murder, depending on the circumstances.

"As to the third element, the threat of respondent, Senator Trillanes, was apparently not subject to a condition," he added.

Paras also said the threat of Trillanes to finish him or kill him was very serious and resolute as he repeatedly uttered, Yayariin kita, several times not only inside the session hall but even at the elevator door.

The complainant cited the senator's record of major involvement in coups d'etat during the Arroyo administration the Oakwood Mutiny in July 2003, the Marine standoff in February 2006, and the Manila Peninsula siege in November 2007.

I have every reason to believe that respondent, Senator Trillanes, was determined with his threat, in view of his past involvement with certain public disruptions. One is the Oakwood mutiny on July 23, 2003. Another is (the) Manila Pen siege on November 29, 2007, read Paras' complaint.

"And with respondent, Senator Trillanes' resources as a senator, and his connections with the military, being a retired Navy officer, his threat against me can be easily realized by him," he said.

Under the Revised Penal Code, the elements of grave threat are the offender threatens another person of committing harm against him or his family; the threat amounts to a crime; and lastly, the threat is not subject to any condition.

Trillanes already denied threatening and cursing Paras, saying he only told Paras that he has the guts to offer a handshake when he filed a criminal complaint against him.

Paras, former Negros Oriental representative, is one of the complainants who initiated an inciting to sedition charge against the Senator.

Last March 14, Pasay City Senior Assistant Prosecutor Joahna Gabatino-Lim approved the filing of the case against Trillanes for violation of inciting to sedition (Article 142, Revised Penal Code or RPC) based on the complaint filed by Paras, lawyers Glenn Chong, Nasser Marohomsalic, Nestor Ifurung, Eligio Mallari and Eduardo Bringas, and Louise Biraogo.

The charge for conspiracy and proposal to commit coup d'etat cannot prosper. The acts complained of do not show that respondent proposes to other persons the commission of the crime of coup d'etat, the resolution read.

The utterances he made may have been suggestive to fall within the scope of inciting to sedition but it is not sufficient to engender a well-founded belief that he directly proposes to others a swift attack accompanied by violence, intimidation, threat, strategy, or stealth against the government, it added.

Lim said the complaint conspiracy and commit coup d'etat (Article 136, RPC), and graft (Section 3(e), Republic Act No. 3019) against Trillanes has been dismissed for lack of probable cause.

The inciting to sedition case with bail recommended has been raffled to Pasay Metropolitan Trial Court Branch 45.

In their complaint-affidavit, they cited the statements made by Trillanes against Duterte in his privilege speech at the Senate on Oct. 3 last year, that soldiers may shoot the President, as he wishes, if allegations of hidden wealth could be proven.

During his privilege speech, the lawmaker made statements about Duterte's alleged millions of pesos of ill-gotten wealth.

Trillanes not only repeatedly uttered seditious words or speeches (Art. 142, RPC) and unabatedly circulated scurrilous libels against the President (Art. 142, RPC), which tend to disturb the public peace, but also repeatedly incited others to inflict any hate or revenge upon his person (Art. 142, in relation to Art. 139 (3), RPC, read the complaint. (PNA)

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